Colombia Student Travel Program

Colombia Trip Overview

Peace and reconciliation: What is the journey from conflict to peace, in this culturally rich, iconic country? Colombia offers incredible lessons in hemispheric relations, global citizenship, environmental stewardship, and mutual respect across economic and racial identities in Latin America’s most enigmatic nation.

People to People: Local CommunityOur insider’s access to Barranquilla’s rich culture extends the hand of friendship through a network of college-educated family-based homestays for an authentic cultural experience. Students hear testimony from survivors on all sides of…

Peace and reconciliation: What is the journey from conflict to peace, in this culturally rich, iconic country? Colombia offers incredible lessons in hemispheric relations, global citizenship, environmental stewardship, and mutual respect across economic and racial identities in Latin America’s most enigmatic nation.

People to People: Local CommunityOur insider’s access to Barranquilla’s rich culture extends the hand of friendship through a network of college-educated family-based homestays for an authentic cultural experience. Students hear testimony from survivors on all sides of the internal conflict, bearing witness to the tradition of “testigo” as a means of healing and transcendence. Key visits in the historic city of Cartagena provide first-hand insights from notable Colombian officials who have influenced the peace process in recent history. City excursions provide unforgettable lessons in colonialism: visits to Bolivar Square, Inquisition Palace, the Castle of San Felipe, and with NGO’s celebrating social commentary and free expression through arts and music. Our immersive excursions to islands and rainforest jungles teach about the power of responsible environmental stewardship in balance with a tourist economy.

History Matters: Learning From The PastOur program centers in Barranquilla, a vibrant industrial port city laid out amidst tangled ribbons mangrove forests and the beautiful Caribbean Ocean. Once the center of the Spanish-Atlantic slave trade in South America, it is fitting that UNESCO honored Barranquilla as a World Masterpiece Heritage of Humanity site. We explore the unifying and divisive concepts of ethnic identity through our partnership with Paulino Salgado School, a model of Afro-Colombian education, pioneering modern racial and educational civil rights movement in the country. The city’s bustling seaport that flanks the Magdalena River and the vibrant neighborhoods of El Prado, whose Museo Romantico showcases cultural artifacts from Colombia’s past. The mystical realism of native author Gabriel Garcia Marquez provide a perfect literary framework for inquisitive learners to comprehend the paradox of the Colombian exchange.

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Colombia Trip Overview - Photo Gallery

"After visiting the Killing Fields, we restored our hope with a volunteer project teaching English to kids. I understood how humans can heal from tragedy: We must all invest in the hopes of a new generation."

Alex Greer, Junior, Laguna Blanca School

"For Amy, this trip was nothing short of life-changing. A million thanks to you and the staff of Peace Works Travel for arranging this wonderful, fantastic, amazing opportunity. Every teenager should do this at least once during high school."

Janice Reinhart, Thacher School Parent, 2011

"The most meaningful experience of the trip for me was visiting the Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh. I founded the Service-for-Soldiers club on campus as soon as I got home. The least we could do is give back to those who prevent these evils from happening ever again."

Kai Dailey, Laguna Blanca School

"Our students asked such great questions that integrated their thinking on policies and personalities. It’s clear they are connecting the various stories of Vietnam together in a more comprehensive picture of the war."

Eric Taylor, Teacher, Francis Parker School

"Volunteering at the Peace Village was life-changing for my students. I am forever grateful for this experience."

Spencer Barr, English Teacher, SBHS

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